The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights lists the first ten changes, or amendments, to the Constitution. Charles Pinckney was the first to come up with a Bill of Rights idea. He suggested that they include some guaranteed rights, but his idea was declined. George Mason, Edmund Randolph, and Elbridge Gerry refused to sign the Constitution, because it lacked a Bill of Rights. The problem with the Constitution was that it stated what the government could do, it didn't say what the government could not do. The Antifederalists were afraid of a strong, centeralized government, and they refused to approve the Constitution unless it included a Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights:

Freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and petition
Guarantees the right to bear arms
Prohibits troops from staying in colonists' homes
Protects the people from unnecessary searches and seizures
Guarantees due process for accused persons (You need a Grand Jury meeting before you're tried to figure out if there is enough evidence for a trial.)
Guarantees the right to a quick and public trial
Guarantees the right to jury trial civil cases tried in federal courts (You have the right to a jury when the case is between you and another person rather than you and the government.)
Prohibits excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishments
Lets people know that they have more rights besides the ones listed in the Constitution
Provides that powers not granted to the national government belong to the states and to the people

Who Wanted A Bill of Rights?

The Antifederalists wanted the Constitution to contain a Bill of Rights, because the original Constitution didn't contain very many individual rights. George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Charles Pinckney supported the Bill of Rights.
The Federalists did not want a Bill of Rights, because they thought that the Consitution contained enough personal protections. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay didn't think that a Bill of Rights was necessary.

Adding a Bill of Rights convinced many states to ratify the Constitution, since it protected the peoples' rights. James Madison was not only the father of the Constitution, but also the writer of the Bill of Rights. He used the Virginia Bill of Rights to get an idea of how to create one for us. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791, after it was approved.